“Did you see the giants again? The ones you saw in your other dream?” Sophia wanted to know.
“No.” Nadiah blotted her eyes again. “Nothing like that. She wasn’t on Earth. She was inside a ship and there were wires running under her skin. She was attached to some kind of huge viewscreen. Images were flashing across it—terrible images.” She shivered. “I had the feeling they were her memories but twisted somehow. Made false and bitter.”
“It sounds like what he did to Baird,” Sylvan said, frowning. “Projecting the memories and then twisting them into falsehoods.”
“Is there anything we can do for her?” Sophia asked. “Would the council allow anyone to try a rescue attempt?”
Sylvan shook his head. “Even if they would, the Scourge Fathership is all but impenetrable. You’d have to have inside knowledge of the codes and tracking devices to get anywhere near it.”
“But Baird was able to get in when they took Olivia,” Sophia protested.
Sylvan sighed. “He was let in because he was offering a life for a life—a krik-ka-re . The AllFather relishes such agonizing deals.” He looked at Nadiah regretfully. “I’ll speak to the Council but I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do for the girl in your dream.”
“The person you ought to be talking to is that stupid detective,” Sophia burst out. “If he had listened to Nadiah in the first place, this might not have happened. I mean, maybe the police could have prevented it somehow.”
“That’s true.” Sylvan looked thoughtful. “At the very least I should follow up with him. “I’ll place a call to him tomorrow morning—that will be afternoon on his part of Earth.” He looked at Nadiah. “In the mean time, you should try to get some more sleep, daughter of my mother’s sister. You may feel better if you do.”
“I’ll try but…poor girl. Oh Goddess, I can’t stand to think of it but I can’t get it out of my head.” Nadiah looked up at him imploringly. “Sylvan, won’t you please sing me the sleep song? The one you used to sing when I had nightmares as a child?”
Sophia looked at him in obvious surprise. “You used to sing Nadiah to sleep?”
Sylvan looked embarrassed. “Only when she was very young. I used to watch her sometimes when her parents went out to functions.”
“So you were her babysitter,” Sophia said.
Sylvan looked shocked. “I never sat on her! No matter how willful she was.”
Nadiah looked at her with interest. “Is that how you discipline children on Earth when they’re naughty? You sit on them?”
“No, of course not. I just meant…oh, never mind.” Sophia shook her head. “The point is, Sylvan, you were Nadiah’s caretaker.”
“My favorite one. Sylvan always let me get away with just about anything.” Nadiah smiled at the memory.
Sylvan smiled too. “She was always a restless sleeper. Some say that vivid nightmares as a child presage one who will be especially strong in the Sight.”
“I wish I didn’t have the Sight,” Nadiah said, sighing. “I wish I didn’t have to worry about seeing such horrible things every time I close my eyes.”
“Do you usually have more than one prophetic dream in a night?” Sylvan asked.
She shook her head. “No, not usually. But nothing about this is usual for me. I’ve only had the gift for a short time.”
“Let’s trust that one dream a night is your limit.” Sylvan smiled gently and came to sit beside Sophia on the side of Nadiah’s bed. “Come, close your eyes and I’ll sing to you.”
“All right.” Reluctantly, Nadiah lay back on the bed and allowed Sophia to tuck the covers around her again. Sylvan hummed experimentally and then his warm, soft baritone filled the quiet room.
“Sleep my little one,
Close your eyes and rest.
Night has come and the grotto is dark.
Follow your dreams to Hush-a-Bye Mountain.
Climb to the top
And make your best wish.
The stars overhead will speak if you listen
And the moonlight will carry you home.
Sleep little one, sleep little one
And the moonlight will carry you home.”
When he was finished, he leaned over and kissed Nadiah’s forehead exactly as he used to when she was a tiny, frightened girl. It made her smile and she noticed that Sophie was smiling too.
“You have a beautiful voice,” she murmured to Sylvan as he rose to leave. “Why haven’t you ever sung for me before?”
He shrugged. “You never asked.”
“Well you can bet I’ll be asking from now on.” She looked at Nadiah. “Are you all right now? Or would you like me to sit with you until you can get back to sleep?”